DEAR BOYS explores the sexual fantasies of a middle-age writer and the handsome young men who dominate his life. Wolf, a successful writer of romantic novels, is plagued by self doubt and ... See full summary »

According to an ancient Indian tale a giant monster embryo residing in a crystal vase is predetermined to fertilize a blue-eyed woman. She will give birth to something evil to unleash ... See full summary »

In 1940, a struggling poor young man falls for a girl who must pay a terrible price to save her mentally disabled brother by marring a powerful shrewed businessman. Then Rotterdam Blitz, a devastating German bombardment, begins.

A bored company owner decides to find out what it is like to be one of his workers. During his "transformation" he falls in love with a cafeteria worker. When his alter ego "The Boss" makes... See full summary »

Nico and Leo are getting married. Their entire family and both their exes are in attendance. Some of these are performing musical numbers on stage. But memories of the war and the fact that... See full summary »

Young Barend is worried about the safety of the sailing vessel he is on. The owner is an unscrupulous and stingy man who skimps on repairs and Barend becomes aware of this. Inevitably there... See full summary »

Based on the life of Han van Meegeren. An exceptionally talented but narcissistic painter clashes with the art critics who are in love with fashionable movements such as impressionism and ... See full summary »

Frequently Asked Questions

User Reviews

If it had been written in English instead of Dutch, Gerard Reve's first novel 'De Avonden' (the evenings, 1947) would probably have won international acclaim. Frits van Egters, the main character, could have become the antihero of a generation, like Holden Caufield in Salinger's 'Cather in the Rye' or Jimmy Porter in Osborne's 'Look Back in Anger'. Frits is an emotionally and socially disoriented, sensitive young man, who tries to hide his uncertainty and vulnerability behind his aloofness and a compulsive need to tell shocking jokes. 'De Avonden' gives a realistic picture of drab daily life in post-war Holland. However, underneath this deceptive realism, there a looms a world of fear, truly black humour and repressed (homo-)eroticism. 'De Avonden' was generally considered highly unsuited to be turned into a film, but director Rudolf van den Berg proved everybody wrong. He succeeded in combining the realistic and surreal elements of the novel into a beautiful, sensitive and monumental film, which merits to be seen by more than just Dutch and Flemish viewers, although the BBC broadcast it in the beginning of the 90's. Long live Auntie Beep.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?